Damian Jones out to prove he's Warriors' big man of the future

By Logan Murdock, Bay Area News Group

Friday, November 10, 2017

SANTA CRUZ — As the Golden State Warriors prepared to face the Nuggets in Denver last Saturday night, second-year center Damian Jones sat in a cold, 2,500-seat warehouse-style arena in this sleepy beachfront town, watching game film of that night’s G-League opponent, the rival South Bay Lakers.

The juxtaposition has practically defined Jones’ Warriors career since the 7-footer was selected with the 30th pick in the 2016 NBA draft out of Vanderbilt.

The combination of athleticism and raw talent that tantalized on draft night continues to impress Bob Myers and Steve Kerr, and provided ample reason for the Warriors to exercise his team option for the 2018-19 season.

However, Jones’ lack of rebounding prowess for a big his size remains a glass ceiling for the 22-year-old in his quest to crack Kerr’s rotation.

Besides much-needed development, his latest odyssey over Highway 17 is the result of a veteran cluster in the Warriors frontcourt that includes David West, JaVale McGee and Zaza Pachulia.

But long before the numbers game, there were immediate health issues to deal with. Twelve days before the draft, Jones tore a pectoral muscle in his right arm bench pressing in front of scouts during a predraft workout with the Orlando Magic.

An MRI later revealed the extent of the damage. The injury, however, didn’t deter the Warriors from selecting him and two weeks later, Jones greeted the Bay Area press for the first time sporting an arm sling over his salmon-colored suit.

Jones’ rookie year was immediately in flux, as he missed summer league and suffered setbacks once he was cleared to start practicing again during training camp, making Santa Cruz an obvious destination.

Jones appears to be rolling with the imperfect start to his Warriors career and maybe it’s because he learned to see the bigger picture at Vanderbilt. He departed with a 4.0 GPA, an engineering degree and the admiration of his coaches for his ability to absorb the playbook.

“He’s such a brilliant guy,” said Commodores coach Kevin Stallings. “He would tell me things when I would forget, he would tell me what people were supposed to do.”

Still, Jones’ life in Santa Cruz does have some drawbacks. Aside from being away from the team, simple luxuries like sleeping in his own bed are nonexistent.

Instead of spreading out his 7-foot frame in the more comfortable confines of his Oakland pad, Jones instead unwinds in a local hotel around the corner from the team’s arena. Even getting a haircut is a challenge, as Jones often rocks a bohemian fro since his regular barbershop sits 60 miles up the coast in Berkeley.

“I feel like I’ve overcome a lot of things to get where I am now,” Jones said. "Just the thought of getting better every day always gets me going.”

To help with Jones’ progress, Kerr regularly checks in on Jones, texting words of encouragement as the center pays his dues. In an attempt to lift Jones’ spirits, Kerr used Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers as an example of the fruits hard work and patience could produce.

“I told him that Aaron Rodgers didn’t play for two to three years until Brett Favre left,” Kerr said.

While no one among the Warriors’ current center trio is on par with a hall of famer like Favre, the sentiment remains clear: Be patient, put the work in and success will come.

Jones put his offensive athleticism on display in the Santa Cruz Warriors’ home opener, violently dunking the ball off of easy feeds and showing impressive touch on a fadeaway jumper. However, his 18 points and four blocks were offset by just a five-rebound night, zero on the offensive glass.

“He’s gotta become a better rebounder, to be an NBA starter and center,” Kerr insists.

More than improving fundamental skills, Kerr’s more pressing suggestion may be the one that gets Jones back to the East Bay.

“The next step is taking control of his career,” he said. “Working on his game, working on his conditioning to the point where he comes into training camp next year and says, ‘I wanna be the starter this year.'”